Unsubscribing from the Drama Chapter 1

Because my flight was delayed due to a storm, I missed my son’s birthday party by exactly thirty minutes.

In retaliation, Caleb deleted every single research paper on my laptop.

My son, Noah, smashed the limited-edition Lego set I had queued for three hours to buy him.

Then, the father and son duo slammed the door and stormed out.

In that moment, a wave of exhaustion washed over me.

Suddenly, floating text comments—like a livestream chat—began scrolling across my vision.

[Honestly, this is on the Female Lead. She promised these two possessive kings she’d be back on time. Being late triggers their abandonment issues.]

[She better open that door and apologize to those poor boys right now! They even had the Polaroid ready for a cute family pic. She ruined the vibe.]

[It just shows how much the Male Lead loves her. The kid clearly inherited his dad’s genes. She needs to be more patient and coax them!]

[I’m melting for this father-son duo. Both the big one and the little one treat her like she’s their whole world. I stan!]

[Omg, my baby boy’s eyes are red! This is so angsty! Auntie is coming with a colorful sack to kidnap you, boo-hoo!]

I let out a soft sigh and started walking toward the door.

Suddenly, the door swung open.

Caleb looked at me with ice-cold eyes. "Since you love your job so much, maybe we should just get a divorce."

Noah stood in the hallway, refusing to step inside, his face void of emotion. "I hate you. I’m going with Daddy."

My breath hitched, a dull ache spreading through my chest.

"Okay."

* * *

My answer was a simple "okay," but Caleb didn't seem satisfied. If anything, he looked angrier.

He kicked the suitcase I had just dragged in, grabbed Noah’s hand, and marched into the elevator without looking back.

I walked into the bedroom and started packing.

The floating comments went wild.

[Let me in there! I need to explain for him! This Male Lead has zero communication skills. He just wanted her to go to dinner with them. Would it kill him to speak nicely?]

[You can’t blame him! Remember he was abused by his alcoholic stepdad in high school? He only survived because the Female Lead saved him. He’s insecure! It’s normal for him to be afraid of losing her.]

[Don’t worry guys, she won’t leave. These are the two men she loves most. Plus, if she leaves, the Male Lead literally won’t survive.]

[She needs to go into the kitchen right now, cook an 8-course meal, and make a dozen phone calls to apologize. ASAP.]

...

I ignored the floating text. I continued packing while dialing my law school classmate’s number.

I had lost count of how many times Caleb used Noah to stage these tantrums.

The word "divorce" had become a punctuation mark in our daily lives.

They would intentionally refuse to eat the dinner I cooked after a long shift. They would pour the warm milk I prepared down the sink.

Once, Caleb even turned off my phone alarm, despite me emphasizing that I had a critical surgery the next morning.

When I confronted him, he hugged Noah and looked at me with puppy-dog eyes. "He’s just a child. He just wanted his mom to stay home on a weekend."

I rushed to the hospital, glaring at him. "He didn't know, but did you not know?"

My phone had a passcode. Noah hadn’t even learned all his numbers yet.

That night, when I came home, my luggage was thrown out into the hallway.

Clean clothes from the closet, cosmetics from the vanity, medical books from the study... all in a heap.

Noah blocked the doorway, crying and screaming, refusing to let me in.

He said I was the worst mother in the world and that he wanted Auntie Chloe to be his mom.

After six back-to-back surgeries, I was physically shattered.

I crouched down, coaxing him patiently. "Let Mommy in first, okay? Mommy hasn't eaten all day..."

Bang.

Caleb slammed the door in my face.

They changed the passcode. I was locked out.

When my best friend, Jess, came to pick me up, I was sitting amidst a pile of clothes, looking like a wreck.

She pulled me up, furious. "There are plenty of guys who would kill to be with you, Lyra! Why are you taking this trash from him? I’m setting you up with ten high-quality men right now. What the hell is this?"

That night, Caleb stood outside Jess’s door, holding a shivering Noah.

It was a bitter winter night in Seattle. The wind cut like knives.

Caleb knelt before me, eyes red, repenting.

"Lyra, I’m sorry. I just love you too much. I don't know why I lose control..."

"You know that apart from you, no one in this world can tolerate my temper."

"You know that if you just coax me a little, my anger disappears."

Noah’s face was blue from the cold. He reached out to me. "Mommy, hug. Hug Noah. Noah won’t make Mommy angry anymore."

One was the man I had loved since high school. The other was the child I nearly died birthing.

No one knew them better than I did.

So, I chose to forgive.

But the peace never lasted. Caleb continued to explode whenever things didn't go his way.

Sometimes a few soft words fixed it. Sometimes, like today, he threatened divorce.

As Noah grew older, his personality began to mirror his father’s.

And I... I was just tired.

This time, I really wanted the divorce.